JASON PIERRE-PAUL’S SEASON PROBABLY OVER AFTER SURGERY…
In a shocking development, New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul had surgery Wednesday morning to repair the groin/sports hernia injury he suffered during Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pierre-Paul is expected to miss at least six weeks. There is a chance Pierre-Paul could return if the Giants make the playoffs and win one or two playoff games.

“We wish JPP a speedy recovery, but we have to move on,” said Head Coach Ben McAdoo. “You can’t expect one person to jump in and fill his shoes. He’s a very talented player. We’ll use all hands on deck.”

McAdoo was asked if the Giants would put him on season-ending Injured Reserve. “Too early to tell,” replied McAdoo. “We’re going to monitor. He just got out of surgery a little while ago. We’ll see how he feels and how he progresses.”

“I am feeling good,” said Pugh. “Obviously today was a little half and half, it wasn’t a full practice and tomorrow will be good to see, you get uppers on, get pads on, see how I am feeling, so that will be the true test… My knee is feeling great, so I have all intentions of going out and playing on Sunday. We just have to make sure that we are taking the right steps and like I keep saying, I feel like a broken record, making sure that we don’t have any setbacks, but every day I am feeling good, so it is solid.”

Running back Shane Vereen (tricep), who is currently on Injured Reserve, continued to practice.

“There’s a chance that we may have a package for Shane if he’s ready to go (against the Cowboys), said Head Coach Ben McAdoo.

HEAD COACH BEN MCADOO…
The transcript of Ben McAdoo’s press conference on Wednesday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

JASON PIERRE-PAUL VISITS SURGEON ABOUT GROIN INJURY…
According to multiple press reports, New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul visited a surgeon in Philadelphia on Tuesday regarding his groin injury. The New York Post is reporting that the team’s preliminary diagnosis is that Pierre-Paul did not suffer a sports hernia and his injury can be rehabbed and treated without surgery. The meeting with the surgeon hopefully will validate those initial findings. However, a couple of Pierre-Paul’s teammates did not think he would be able to play on Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys.

Owa Odighizuwa on JPP: "I don’t know exactly what the issue is but obviously he’s not going to be in the game this week.''

GIANTS ADD DEFENSIVE END TO PRACTICE SQUAD…
The New York Giants have signed defensive end Jordan Williams to the Practice Squad. Williams was originally signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2015 NFL Draft. He has spent time with the Jets (2015) and Miami Dolphins (2015-2016).

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

NOVEMBER 30, 2016 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
The New York Giants held a jog-thru practice on Wednesday. Safety Nat Berhe (concussion), linebacker Mark Herzlich (concussion), and defensive end Owa Odighizuwa (knee) did not participate.

“I think it depends how I come in tomorrow,” Pugh said. “I feel like tomorrow, if I can do more at practice, we’ll see how it goes from there. My goal is just to feel good every day, and keep building off that. And I think we’re heading in the right direction. I’m going to be back sooner or later.”

Although he currently remains on Injured Reserve, running back Shane Vereen returned to practice on Wednesday. Vereen was placed on IR in late September after suffering a triceps injury that required surgery. The Giants now have 21 days to activate Vereen to the 53-man roster, or his season will end on Injured Reserve.

“It was good to get him back out here in the mix with the team,” said Head Coach Ben McAdoo. “He caught some balls…When (the medical staff) deem him ready, we’ll take a look at bringing him back.”

“Physically, I feel good. If it was just up to how I felt like, then I would have been back, but there is a lot that goes into it and we have to be smart,” said Vereen.

GIANTS SIGN SAFETY TO THE PRACTICE SQUAD…
The New York Giants have signed safety Christian Bryant to the Practice Squad. Bryant was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. The Rams waived him in September 2016. He then spent time on both the Practice Squad and active roster of the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals waived him on Monday. Bryant has played in 11 regular-season games with no starts. Bryant lacks ideal size and speed, but he a good athlete and an aggressive player with fine intangibles.

JASON PIERRE-PAUL NAMED “NFC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK”…
New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has been named “NFC Defensive Player of the Week” for his performance against the Cleveland Browns last Sunday. In that game, Pierre-Paul was credited with seven tackles, three sacks, three QB hits, three tackles for losses, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery that he returned for a 43-yard touchdown.

This is the third time this year a New York Giants defensive player has won the award. Safety Landon Collins earned it twice earlier this season. This is Pierre-Paul’s fourth “NFC Defensive Player of the Week” award in his career. Only linebacker Lawrence Taylor (9) and defensive end Michael Strahan (5) have more in team history.

HEAD COACH BEN MCADOO…
The transcript of Ben McAdoo’s press conference on Wednesday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

“(Pugh) moved around,” said McAdoo. “We’ll take a look at him and see how he does during the week… We have a bunch of guys that are nicked up on the offensive line. We’ll play with whoever is ready to go.”

HEAD COACH BEN MCADOO…
The transcript of Ben McAdoo’s press conference on Wednesday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

MONDAY BEN MCADOO CONFERENCE CALL…
New York Giants Head Coach Ben McAdoo addressed the media by conference call on Monday to discuss the team’s 22-16 victory over the Chicago Bears:

McAdoo: It was exciting to see the men in the locker room respond at halftime; 13-0 in the second half was big for us. We won the turnover battle, four penalties, and we held them to 16 points. If we do that, we are going to have a chance to be successful in a lot of games.

Defense, what I thought we did well: 101 yards, zero points in the second half, 4-of-12 on third down, a combination of 10 tackles for loss and sacks, and we ended the game with an interception in the two-minute. What we need to work on: substitution error on the goal line, can’t have it. We need to cut down on the explosive gains that are assignment related.

Offense, what we did well: the first five drives, three touchdowns and a field goal and really the other drive, if we don’t have the penalty, we were moving the ball there as well. Zero ‘gives’ for the first time this year and especially in the elements, that was big for us. We showed physicality running the football and we were at our best on fourth down when we needed it. What we need to work on: last five drives, zero points to show. It seemed like we were pressing at times and there were too many technique errors.

Our special teams, what we did well: the 46-yard kick return to start the half set the table, the punt game overall was positive and at 3:13 in the fourth quarter, the 45-yard net with zero yards on the return and the 10-yard penalty tacked on was big for us there in the punt game. What we need to work on: can’t have the substitution error on the field goal, gave up a 40-yard kickoff return, the punt return was a muff and kickoff return decision making has to improve.

Where we go from here, we have to keep focusing on improving. We have to clean our house, we have some sloppy football out there, but it is all correctable.

Q: Any expectations that Brett Jones, Roger Lewis or Marshall Newhouse will practice?

A: Roger is in the protocol. Jones, we will take a look at and see what he can do on Wednesday.

Q: What about Marshall?

A: Marshall went back into the ball game, but again, we will have to take a look at him on Wednesday as well.

Q: What about Justin Pugh?

A: He was moving around a little bit at the end of last week and, again, we will see how he looks on Wednesday. It is too early to tell.

Q: Did Odell hurt his hand on that low pass in the dirt?

A: He may have caught a finger in the turf, stubbed it a little bit. I am not 100 percent certain.

Q: What did you see on Robbie Gould’s two missed PATs. He was talking about the wind, not making an excuse, but was there something off about his technique?

A: We need to make those. You talked to Robbie yesterday. I think he hit the nail on the head and we are all on the same page there.

Q: You mentioned ‘pressing’ on those last five offensive series. Can you kind of expand on what you mean by that?

A: Just too many technique errors. We need to do what we are supposed to do, when we are supposed to do it, as well as we possibly can, all the time. We have to be on the same page.

Q: In retrospect, do you feel like your play calling got a little too conservative once you took the lead?

A: No.

Q: Why not?

A: I thought we were running the ball physically. I thought we had some opportunities to convert and complete the ball. I am fine with the way the game was called.

Q: How did you think the offensive line held up?

A: I thought the offensive line – we had zero sacks, the quarterback did take a couple shots, but I thought with all the moving parts throughout the whole week and the short week of preparation, I thought they came out and played physical in the run game.

Q: How would you describe Victor Cruz’s role in this offense?

A: He is one of the three starting receivers out there and we had some guys nicked up and he played, what did he play, 60 plays. He played a lot of football for us yesterday.

Q: Victor doesn’t get a lot of passes in his direction, but when he does, he makes them count.

A: It was tough to complete the ball outside the numbers yesterday. It was a challenge. I thought taking care of the football in those types of conditions with the winds and the gust, really the challenge was that the winds weren’t sustained. They were gusts so you didn’t know when they were going to hit or when they weren’t going to hit. I thought taking care of the ball was encouraging.

Q: Obviously with Landon Collins the picks are apparent, but overall, can you give us a sense of how well he’s playing. Would you say he’s playing at an all-pro level?

A: I can’t really speak for Landon. I think he’s playing at a high level and the teams that we see…I don’t get a chance to watch everybody in the league so I don’t have an opinion on whether he’s playing at an all-pro level, but I know he’s playing at a high level for us. He’s still learning, he’s still growing, he’s still a young player and he’s preparing well and he’s very productive.

Q: When they had the penalty on the second to last play, was that something you guys could have declined and if so, why didn’t you?

A: Any time Jay Cutler has the ball, the farther you can back him up at the end of the ball game, the better. If anyone can cut through the wind and get one in the end zone, it’s Jay.

Q: Why give him an extra chance then for five yards?

A: Felt like it was the best decision for our team.

Q: What went into the decision to have Larry Donnell inactive?

A: We were short on linemen and we wanted to make sure we had enough guys to finish the game. It’s easier to move a lineman to tight end than it is from tight end to lineman.

Q: Big picture, obviously you’re a first year head coach, when you went into this, did you imagine you could have this kind of success this early on?

A: We haven’t accomplished anything yet. The highs are high and the lows are low and you’re going have to put out three dumpster fires a day. Other than that, you need to focus on your preparation and get ready for the next opponent.

Q: They say that winning cures everything; how do you view the attitude or atmosphere around the building the last few weeks?

A: I think guys did a nice job early in the week last week focusing on their preparation. They seem positive, they seem hungry to get better and that’s encouraging moving forward.

Q: You said that you haven’t accomplished anything yet, but of course you guys do have seven wins; what do you mean by that?

A: Seven wins doesn’t get you very far. We need to keep stacking success.

Q: You said yesterday that a road trip would be good for the team; is that something that a team misses a little bit? The traveling and the camaraderie?

A: It’s an exciting week for our guys. Haven’t been on the road in a little while, so anytime you get a chance to get on the road and bond and spend some time together, some quality time together that way, your team has a chance to grow and get closer.

Q: A report out of Cleveland was that Cody Kessler may have gone into concussion protocol. How difficult does that make your preparation for this week not knowing what quarterback they might put in.

A: They’re all three very different players, so of course that will be a challenge but we have to be ready for it.

Q: Do you do work on all three as a result?

A: We have yet to go into the meeting. I have a meeting here in about seven minutes and that’s something we have to discuss.

NEW YORK GIANTS 22 – CHICAGO BEARS 16…
The New York Giants defeated the Chicago Bears 22-16 on Sunday afternoon at a windy MetLife Stadium. With the win, the Giants improved their overall record to 7-3.

The Giants slightly out-gained the Bears in first downs (19 to 17), total net yards (329 to 315), net yards rushing (102 to 93), and net yards passing (227 to 222). Chicago was 4-of-12 (33 percent) on 3rd down while New York was 5-of-14 (36 percent) on 3rd down and 2-for-2 (100 percent) on 4th down. The Bears turned the ball over once while the Giants did not turn the ball over at all.

The Bears had four possessions in the first half and scored on their first three: a 9-play, 76-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown (extra point missed); a 7-play, 39-yard drive that resulted in a 40-yard field goal; and an 8-play, 79-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was 11-of-14 for 126 yards and a touchdown in the first half with tight end Zach Miller catching three passes for 61 yards and a 19-yard score. The Giants defense also had trouble stopping running back Jordan Howard as he rushed for 72 yards on 12 carries in the first half.

Meanwhile, the Giants only had three possessions in the first half, scoring on two of them. New York drove 78 yards in 11 plays on their first drive. The Giants went for it on 4th-and-2 from the Chicago 17-yard line as quarterback Eli Manning hit wide receiver Sterling Shepard for 15 yards down to the 2-yard line. On the next snap, running back Rashad Jennings scored. The extra point was missed by ex-Bears kicker Robbie Gould. New York went three-and-out on their second possession. Then on their third and final possession before the break, the Giants drove 57 yards in 14 plays to set up a successful 46-yard field goal by Gould. This drive also included a successful 4th-down conversion as Jennings caught a 5-yard pass on 4th-and-2 at the Bears 33-yard line. Manning was 11-of-18 for 100 yards in the first half with Jennings both the leading rusher (seven carries for 34 yards) and receiver (five catches for 44 yards).

Chicago led 16-9 at halftime.

The Giants defense shut out the Bears in the second half. Five of Chicago’s second-half possessions resulted in three-and-outs. Their third possession after the break gained 47 yards in nine plays but ended with a missed 51-yard field goal early in the 4th quarter.

The Giants offense scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the second half. First, aided by a 46-yard kickoff return by Dwayne Harris, the Giants drove 56 yards in nine plays to tie the game at 16-16 on Manning’s 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end Will Tye. Then New York drove 79 yards in seven plays to go up 22-16 midway through the 3rd quarter. The big play on this drive was a 48-yard pass from Manning to wide receiver Victor Cruz. Three plays later, on 3rd-and-4, Manning hit Shepard for a 15-yard touchdown. Gould missed what could have been a very costly extra point, his second miss of the game.

Holding a 6-point lead, the Giants offense struggled for the remainder of the game as their next five drives resulted in only two first downs and five punts. Fortunately, the Bears were even more inept. Starting on their own 22-yard line, Chicago got the ball one last time at the 3-minute mark. The Bears gained 35 yards on their first play to the Giants 43-yard line. Then on 2nd-and-20, Chicago gained 23 yards to the Giants 30-yard line. But defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul sacked Cutler and a penalty pushed the Bears back into a 2nd-and-29 from the New York 49-yard line. On the next snap, safety Landon Collins saved the win with an interception at the Giants 21-yard line.

Offensively, Eli Manning finished 21-of-36 for 227 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions. His leading receivers were Sterling Shepard (5 catches for 50 yards and a touchdown), wide receiver Odell Beckham (5 catches for 46 yards), and Rashad Jennings (5 catches for 44 yards). Jennings finished the game with 85 yards rushing and a touchdown on 21 carries. The Giants did not allow a sack and did not turn the ball over.

POST-GAME NOTES…
The Giants won their fifth consecutive game, their longest winning streak since they won five in a row in 2010.

The Giants improved to 7-3 and have exceeded their victory total from each of the previous two seasons (when they were 6-10) – with six games remaining.

This is the Giants best 10-game start since they were 9-1 in 2008.

The Giants seven victories have been by a total of 27 points.

The Giants improved to 5-1 in MetLife Stadium, their highest total at home since they were 6-2 in 2012.

With the victory, the Giants concluded a 3-0 homestand. This is the first time the Giants won three games at home in consecutive weeks 1962.

The Giants did not commit a turnover, ending their NFL-long streak of 18 consecutive games with at least one giveaway.

Safety Landon Collins has intercepted at least one pass in four consecutive games, the first Giants player to do that since cornerback Phillippi Sparks also had a four-game streak in 1995.

ROSTER MOVES…
On Saturday, the New York Giants signed center Shane McDermott to the 53-man roster from the Practice Squad. To make room for McDermott, the team waived linebacker Deontae Skinner. The Giants also signed quarterback Logan Thomas to the Practice Squad.

McDermott was signed to the Giants Practice Squad on Thursday. He also spent time on the team’s Practice Squad in September. McDermott originally signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2015 NFL Draft, but the Cowboys cut him in September that year. After a brief stint on the Panthers Practice Squad, the Giants signed McDermott to the Practice Squad in November 2015. McDermott is a blue-collar, overachiever who lacks ideal athleticism and strength.

Skinner was signed to the Practice Squad in September and October 2016 and then to the 53-man roster in October 2016. Skinner was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the New England Patriots after the 2014 NFL Draft. He has spent time with the Patriots (2014-2015) and Eagles (2015-2016), the latter waiving him in August.

Thomas has been added to and released from the Practice Squad multiple times in 2016. Thomas was originally drafted in the 4th round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. The Dolphins claimed Thomas off of waivers from the Cardinals in September 2015 and the Giants claimed him off of waivers from the Dolphins in June 2016. Thomas has only played in two NFL games, completing one pass in nine attempts for an 81-yard touchdown. Thomas is a huge, athletic quarterback with a quick release and strong arm. He has been an inconsistent performer with decision-making and accuracy issues.

“The injury is doing well,” Cruz said. “I practiced today and everything feels good. I was running around, making some plays, so everything is feeling good… Sunday at one o’clock, I plan to be out there helping my team win.”

PRACTICE SQUAD MOVES…
The New York Giants have signed offensive center/guard Shane McDermott to the Practice Squad. To make room for McDermott, the team terminated the Practice Squad contract of wide receiver Da’Ron Brown.

McDermott was originally signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2015 NFL Draft, but the Cowboys cut him in September that year. After a brief stint on the Panthers Practice Squad, the Giants signed McDermott to the Practice Squad in November 2015. He also spent time on the Giants Practice Squad again in September 2016. McDermott is a blue-collar, overachiever who lacks ideal athleticism and strength.

Brown was signed to the Giants Practice Squad last week. He was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. He has spent time on the Practice Squads of the Chiefs (2015) and New England Patriots (2016).

THE COACHES SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following coaches are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

Content Sections

Content Sections

Follow Us!

Posts By Month

Posts By Month

Need Help with WordPress? Whether you need technical support, training or site repair,PCQB WordPress Support can help you out.

Part of the USA Today Sports Media Group
BigBlueInteractiveSM provides news, analysis, and discussion on the New York Football Giants. The site is owned and operated by Big Blue Interactive, LLC. If you
have any questions or comments about this website, please see our contact information page.